Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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660. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will address the unfair situation in which parents of children with disabilities and in receipt of a disability payment are excluded from the back to school clothing and footwear allowance and either allow parents to continue to collect the allowance or allow children in receipt of a disability payment apply for it independently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41654/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year.

The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.

To qualify for BSCFA, a person must meet a number of conditions namely:

* The child must meet the age criteria.

* The applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and getting an increase in that payment for the qualified child (except in certain circumstances) in the period 1 June to 30 September.

* The assessable income for the household must be within prescribed limits.

* The applicant and the child (or children) in respect of whom the allowance is claimed must be resident in the State.

Parents whose children are in receipt of social protection payments in their own right, will not receive an increase in their weekly social protection payment for those children and so do not qualify for the BSCFA payment.

There are no current plans to amend the eligibility criteria for BSCFA. Any changes to the scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.

Applications which are outside the terms of the BSCFA scheme will not qualify for payment under the BSCFA scheme. However, individuals who are refused a BSCFA payment may be considered for exceptional needs payments (ENP) under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme by the officers administering this scheme in the normal way.

Any persons who consider that they have an entitlement to an exceptional needs payment should contact the Department’s Community Welfare Service.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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661. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person (details supplied) qualifies for the living alone allowance given that the person has a UK pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41658/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Living Alone Increase is an additional weekly payment to social welfare recipients who are living alone and who are on a qualifying payment, including State pensions, from my Department. It is not a stand-alone payment and as a result is not payable where the person concerned is in receipt of a UK pension.

Depending on their circumstances, the person concerned may wish to consider applying for State pension (non-contributory). This is a means-tested, residency-based payment for people aged 66 and over, who do not qualify for State pension (contributory), or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. The current statutory limit for the State pension (non-contributory) means assessment is €262.50 per week.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.